Armor
by UsayImaDreamer
Summary: Set during Eclipse, an argument between Jacob and Bella. Why does she have to choose? Short, oneshot, please review!


**A/N: **These characters are not mine, sadly. Bella and Jacob belong to Stephenie (she's a genius). The lyrics belong to Stellar Road (the song is called Armor, of course). The argument is imagine by me : ) Enjoy!

"Bella, he's wrong for you. He's not even human. How can you love someone who's dead like that?" Jacob scowled.

"Jake you wouldn't have any idea. It's not your place to go attacking him… you don't even know him!" Bella shouted back, feeling the need to defend her feelings. She took a deep breath, placing her hands on her hips to steady herself. Her voice lowered to a whisper as she said, "Why are you acting like this?"

Jacob shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly. "I don't know how you mean," he mumbled.

"Jealous, Jacob Black," Bella spat, her tone rising bitterly again. "You're acting like… a jealous brat right now." Jacob always did this to her; he always tried to push her emotions as far as they would go. See how far she can go before she cracks. _Not this time_, Bella thought, glaring at the enormous boy who was now starting to smile back at her.

"Oh Bells," Jake sighed, standing up from where he had been crouched by his bike. He tried to hold back his laughter but was failing.

Bella couldn't believe it; he actually had the audacity to sit there and laugh at her. "I don't get why you're so mean Jacob, I really don't. I thought we were friends."

Jake's laughter stopped abruptly. "Are you kidding me? So I'm the mean one here…" he paused, considering this choice. He cleared his throat and closed the distance between him and Bella. She felt slightly intimidated by Jake's intense approach and tried to back up as Jake roughly grabbed a hold of her hands.

"Bella, how can I possibly be the mean one here? You come after me again and again, and it's like you're trying to torture me or something," he whispered, leaning his head down and deeply inhaling the sweet scent from her hair.

Bella all but lost her composure. Heat and _want_ were rolling off Jake in thick waves; she was caught in a hazy cloud and couldn't even find the words to speak clearly. "Jake…I…um, I don't know what…" She found that his presence was almost as intoxicating as Edward's- almost.

Jake ran one of his hands along the length of Bella's arm, sending shivers down her spine and causing her to inhale sharply. "Don't tell me you don't know Bells. There's no way you can't know how I feel by now," Jake whispered, his lips lingering just below her ear and burning into her neck.

_Only in my dreams you know,_

_Only far where shepherds go,_

_Come reach out, come search my soul,_

_Why do you wear your armor full?_

"Jake," Bella sighed, opening her eyes and putting up both her arms to push him away. As delicious as his warm embrace felt at the moment, this wasn't why she had come to see him. This notion had never even entered her brain before he had gotten so close and fogged her sense. _Okay, that's a lie_, Bella thought. Maybe the idea had hovered in the periphery for a while when Edward was gone, but it certainly had never surfaced since he had returned. _Why is Jake choosing to do this now?_ Bella wondered, suddenly feeling hopeless against this giant towering over her and nestled in the crook of her neck. "Jake!" Bella shouted this time, more firmly, exerting almost all of her strength against his body.

Jake finally realized what she was doing and pulled back, a disappointed glint in his dark eyes. "See why you kill me?" He faked a small laugh, running his hands through his now-growing hair, but rejection (that all too familiar feeling) was rushing over him in waves, again.

Bella took a deep breath trying to clear her head. "I don't know what to say here Jake… I thought it was always clear, you know, that we were friends."

"And I thought I was always clear on what I wanted," Jake shot back. "Since the day I met you on the beach Bella, I knew I wanted to be with you. Honestly," he insisted noticing her mouth opening immediately in protest.

"Well things were different then Jake. They weren't so… complicated," Bella responded.

Jake shook the tension that had been growing out of his shoulders. He had to stay in control now more than ever. "Bella, how can I prove to you that I'm better for you? I could be so much better for you than that leech," Jake said coolly.

Tears were now brimming in Bella's eyes. "Jake you know how much I love him," she stammered. "And if you really loved me you wouldn't force me to make this choice."

Careful to keep his warm body at distance, Jake reached out a long arm and brushed his burning hand along Bella's cheek, catching a stray tear that had fallen. "Do you feel that Bells? Because I know _he_ doesn't feel like that. I can make you feel alive… I would never hurt you. You just have to let me _try_."

_Fantasize, come inside, close the door,_

_Realize what your heart is beating for,_

_Little man what do you wear your armor for?_

_I'm alive, I'm alive, I'm alive_

Sadness now emanated in the space between them; Bella brushed her face with the back of her hand, wiping away her tears. Jacob held back, afraid to say anything else and desperately hoping that what he said would mean something to her.

When she finally looked up, her eyes hard and cold, Jacob felt his insides tearing apart.

"I'm sorry Jake, but I can't be anything more than friends with you. And if you're going to force me to choose between you and Edward… I think it's pretty clear who I've chosen. Besides, what happens in the future where I choose you? You'll imprint someday and I'll be just like Leah. I _won't _be left behind Jacob, not by you," Bella spoke harshly. There was no way to be nice about this; having Jake as her friend had only continued to hurt him, just like he said. She was trying to do him a favor. _Just like Edward tried to do you a favor by leaving in September_, the thought piercing Bella's heart. _Jake will be better at recovering than I was, though… he's got his pack._

Jake felt his chest cave and his torso begin to shudder. "Fine then," he snapped. "Go live a cold eternity with that bloodsucker. But I don't give second chances Bella, just remember that." And with that, Jacob tore off into the trees beyond Bella, transforming as he went.

Bella felt her heart start to crumble slightly as she made her way from the garage to her truck. Once inside, keys in the ignition, tears swam in her view. She barely dialed the number on her cell phone when she sobbed, "I need you to meet me at the line and drive me home, please."


End file.
